What is a hate crime?

A hate crime is any crime where somebody is targeted because of their disability.

A hate incident is when somebody is targeted because of their disability, but the act committed against them doesn’t amount to a crime. Multiple hate incidents committed by the same person against the same victim can become a hate crime.

The Crown Prosecution Service defines a disability hate crime as:

“Any offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s disability or perceived disability.”

Disability hate crime is serious – the motivations are different to other crimes and it’s important the police force and Crown Prosecution Service are aware of this.

It’s important victims understand their rights and the people who support them do too.

Examples of hate crime

Hate crime can come in different forms, and it might not be clear that someone is a victim. You know the person you care for best – if you notice something that concerns you, it’s important you try to understand what has caused it.

Some warning signs can be:

  • they are using harmful coping strategies, such as self-harm or alcohol abuse
  • their anxiety has increased with no immediate cause
  • there are changes in their self-care and hygiene.

Coercion or mate crime

“A group of people pretended to be my friends and conned me out of £4,000.”

Theft

“I had my mobile phone stolen in GCSEs…at uni other students told me I was targeted because I was weird.”

Property damage

“We had equipment provided to keep our disabled child safe repeatedly damaged and were mocked for having extra needs.”

Physical or sexual abuse

“My son was bullied at school and online…He has been called a r****d and a boy tried to gouge his eyes out.”

Verbal abuse or intimidation

“I’ve been called a paedophile, druggie, weirdo, r****d…”

Clive’s story

In summer 2017, Clive who is a victim of hate crime presented his experiences to a crowd of people and how he moved forward. He’d like to share it with you.